Better drilling

REVOLUTIONARY deepwater drilling technology will soon be brought to Egypt by Shell. The new technology, called Surface Blow Out Prevention (SBOP), has recently been employed as a safer, less costly and more efficient technique for drilling deepwater oil wells.

SBOP technology, which was recently used to drill a well at a depth of 3000 metres in waters off the coast of Brazil, will soon be introduced in Egypt to drill in Shell's Northeast Mediterranean Deepwater Concession in the Nile Delta.

"For the first time in Egypt, a three well sequence will soon begin utilising the SBOP technology. The wells will set water depth records for both Egypt and the Mediterranean with plans for drilling in water depths greater than 2450 metres," said Andrew Vaughan, chairman of Shell Egypt. He added that Egypt's wells will be the second deepest (after that of Brazil) ever drilled using SBOP technology.

Access to the large reserves available from deepwater fields, however, comes with a high price tag. Exploration and development costs for a typical 500 million barrel field can easily exceed one billion dollars.

Expo-olives

IN AN attempt to increase Egypt's exports of fine olive oil, the Egyptian Exporters' Association (ExpoLink) invited an Italian expert to provide extensive technical training courses for Egyptian oil producers and exporters. The training will cover the optimal means of collecting, pressing and refining the harvest, as well as how to select the appropriate additives according to international standards. A survey was conducted to determine problems facing olive oil producers and suggested solutions.

"Our ultimate aim is to improve and increase Egypt's production of olive oil so that it can compete in a number of targeted international markets," said Nagui El-Fayoumi, executive director of ExpoLink. He added that in 2002 Egypt produced some 4,000 tonnes of olive oil, although the country has the potential to produce 30,000 tonnes annually.

"Egypt's soil and weather conditions are considered the best factors for a successful olive cultivation. However, some obstacles need to be removed in order to become competitive. These include increasing the volume of production and abiding by the international standards throughout the manufacturing process," he said.